For the Guns and Babes
by binkeybella
Summary: Short one-shot of a conversation between Tony and Tobias Fornell. Set pre-series, when Gibbs and Tony were just starting as a two man team, so probably AU.


_**Inspired by the episode 'Collateral Damage', (season 6?) but set pre-series. Not beta'd.**_

_**( And don't worry, I haven't forgotten my other stories – I just made the mistake of watching the NCIS Saturday marathon on USA and got over-run with bunnies. Or run over by them, not sure which.)**_

Newly-minted NCIS Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo had leaned back against the evidence van, adjusting his cap against the still-bright sun and enjoying a semi-hot cup of cocoa that his boss had bought special for him as a reward for good behavior. Gibbs had contemplated adding a double chocolate muffin to go along with it, but found himself shuddering at the thought of having to drive back to the Navy Yard with a sugared-up SFA. Tony had finished FLETC a couple months back, passing it with flying colors and in the top five of this cycle's class, and Gibbs had been proud as a peacock of the young man, though he never let on. "Ya did good." he had pronounced gruffly, and stuffed an envelope in DiNozzo's hand before striding off. It was a gift certificate to a chain bookstore, the big one that sold all sorts of entertainment media. Tony had tried to thank the man, but Gibbs had waved him off without turning around, and Tony had just shrugged and stuffed it into his pocket.

He had no idea at the time that that was something his boss had never done for any of his agents, and a shocked Abby had enlightened him to the fact with a predatory glint in her eyes. He wasn't sure what to make of _that, _either.

Now though, he relaxed against the box truck and chatted with FBI lead agent Tobias Fornell aboutwhat he thought of Abby's latest beau. Neither man thought it unkind or out-of-line, as the beau was a fellow agent, one of Fornell's current probies as a matter of fact. And it was Tony's job to find out all he could about the man and his intentions. Gibbs hovered around them , neither joining in nor able to walk away – Abby was family, and he needed to know as badly as DiNozzo the kind of person her latest romantic interest was. He made a show of scribbling notes and talking to Ducky, but he was only listening to the poor M.E with half an ear. _Yeah, _Fornell drawled, _he's a decent enough guy, not sure what if he's looking to retire from us, though. _Well, Gibbs didn't care who the guy retired with, he probably wouldn't last more than a few weeks with Abby anyways, but in the meantime, he'd better treat her right.

"You plannin' on retiring from NCIS, DiNutso? Word is you don't stick around anywhere too long. You gonna be a flower child the rest of your life?"

Gibbs perked his ears up one hundred percent at that question. He had wondered the same thing, knew how DiNozzo had drifted from precinct to precinct. But somehow he hadn't figured out a tactful way to ask his new SFA – not that Gibbs had that word in his vocabulary, just that there were some things he knew were sore subjects for the kid, and he wasn't about to alienate him by stirring up controversy. Let Fornell unwittingly do it for him.

"Flower child? Do I look like a Dead Head, Tobias?"

Fornell grimaced. He hated it when DiNozzo called him that. No respect for his elders, this kid.

"Like to know who's on Gibbs' team when I work with him, gettin' kind of tired of seeing a new face every time I turn around."

"Hmmm." Tony hummed into his cup, and took another swig of the extra sweet stuff. He was pretty sure Gibbs had had them add a helping of chocolate syrup to the mix, and that thought made him a little warm and fuzzy and uncomfortable at the same time, along with Fornell's question.

"Yeah, well..." he continued vaguely, and stared off towards the row of buildings across the street.

"Guess it all depends."

"Well _that _tells me a whole helluva lot." the Fibbie grumped. "Why'd you even bother _joining up _if you're not sure what you want out of it?"

DiNozzo turned to Fornell with a mystified look, but his eyes flashed with annoyance. "Morrow paying you to be my shrink, now, Fornell?"

"Jesus, kid, I just _asked! _Most guys have it all planned out – two years as probie, three years as SFA, retire after fifteen more as Supervisory Agent and head to Ft. Meyers or Daytona." Now that DiNozzo _had_ used his last name, he didn't at all like the tone of it.

"Hadn't thought that far ahead, okay? Need to know that I can even cut it first before I go settin' up an IRA."

Fornell choked back a laugh. "Yer shittin' me, right? How long have you been with Gibbs full time? Four, five weeks, and you don't know whether or not yer gonna kill 'im in his sleep yet?"

"I wouldn't do that to 'im, Tobias. Mostly cause the man never sleeps."

Gibbs muffled a snort into his jacket sleeve that looked and sounded like a cough, and kept his head down to his clipboard and his back to the two witty conversationalists. He's seen an odd look in DiNozzo's eyes a few times when he'd been too harsh with him that did actually make Gibbs wonder how much crap the kid would take before he snapped and went after him with a machete. So far, his SFA was one of the most bendable people he had ever met, never being implacable, and never totally caving, either. But what he'd also learned about the DiNozzo was that he had a temper, and given the right opportunity on the wrong day, well, he didn't want to be on the receiving end of it if at all possible.

Fornell was stifling a hoarse chuckle himself, nearly choking on his coffee.

"Well, there's _that." _he offered, recovering and mopping his mouth on his sweatshirt. "Still, ya gotta want it bad to work with the bastard. Most newbies don't last a day with the man."

"Yeah, well, not the first bastard I've dealt with, and he _does_ have his moments."

"So why'd ya follow 'im home from Bawlmore and join his team? He promise ya, better working conditions? Shorter hours, better pay, more days off?"

Tony grinned broadly behind his cup, knowing Fornell was totally yanking him. Since joining up with Gibbs, he'd gotten less sleep than on any undercover assignment, put in more hours than any precinct he'd ever worked, and couldn't remember having an entire day off. Still, he was having the time of his life working old and new cases and challenging his brain and brawn like no other job ever had. Not to mention having one-on-one time with someone who was willing to teach him what they'd learned, and then getting a barely-there grin from Gibbs when he'd hit the jackpot with the right answer or more often than not, come up with a lead or solution from far left field. And finally, he had someone who not only actually listened to him, but took a lot of what he said into consideration. Gibbs not only tolerated his sometimes kooky behavior, but allowed him the outlet to channel his considerable thought processes and nervous energy. The man understood him, even if he didn't always agree with him. For Tony that was worth hours of sleep and down-time. So was the satisfaction of bringing some sort of closure to the lives of the victims they worked for.

DiNozzo chugged the last of the syrupy mix down in one gulp and stuffed the styrofoam cup in his pocket, and watched Gibbs gathering up the last of the yellow crime scene tape. He slapped Fornell's arm playfully and headed off towards the lead agent, declaring,

"Why _else _would a guy join up with a boss like Gibbs in this line of work? For the guns and babes, Tobias! For the guns and babes! We can't all be James Bond, but some of us can sure have fun trying!"


End file.
